Workplace stresses may prove killer in this off-the-rails office satire

Richard thinks he’s in luck when he snags a job at the cuckoo-clock factory, but things start to go wrong right off the bat. First of all there’s his boss, who doesn’t seem to have the strongest grip on reality and has an odd penchant for silly hats. Then there are his coworkers, who are alternately evasive and idiotic when asked about anything pertaining to actually getting work done. Finally there’s George, the employee Richard’s replacing, who supposedly quit but whose family has just appeared on national TV pleading for his safe return. It’s all adding up to a very strange workplace, and when the company goes on a retreat, everything spools quickly out of control.

From the author of Anna and Froga comes a wry, offbeat whodunnit that centers on office life. Anouk Ricard’s subtle, sardonic humor undermines the characters’ desperate attempts to be taken seriously, as they bungle kidnappings, misunderstand social cues, and let petty disagreements become feuds. Ricard’s dim-witted characters aspire to deviousness but miss their mark, remaining firmly in the domain of slapstick.

Praise for Benson's Cuckoos

Combine absurdity with Ricard's simplified, charming funny animal art style and you've got a very funny comic. Ricard has a healthy appreciation for the ridiculous that is as infectious here as it is in [her] Anna books.

[Benson’s Cuckoos] is like a fever dream of workplace anxiety drawn by Richard Scarry for those worn down by the business grind… Those who’ve worked office jobs with self-important, rude, or clueless coworkers (and who hasn’t?) will appreciate the satire.

In Anouk Ricard’s gently bonkers satire, an everyman wage-earner endures the indignities foisted upon him by his zany boss and downtrodden co-workers. [Ricard] just barely cushion[s] her pointed jabs at the insular, dysfunctional families we construct at work.

The whole gang is reunited in Anna & Froga: Thrills, Spills, and Gooseberries . Join Anna, Froga, Ron, Bubu, and Christopher as they get stuck in the haunted house at the county fair with a truly terrifying ticket-taker; as Froga combats a scourge of snails in her garden; and as Bubu...

Embark on a fresh set of adventures with the hilariously snarky and mischievous heroes of Anna & Froga . In each short episode, Anouk Ricard’s deceptively simple illustrations harmonize perfectly with the characters’ petty, silly, and downright slapstick pranks. Bright colors, astutely...

Anouk Ricard’s Anna and Froga features the adventures of a little girl named Anna and her gang of animal friends. Anna’s best friend is the titular Froga, and they often hang out with Bubu the dog (an aspiring artist), Christopher the gourmand earthworm, and Ron (a practical joker of a...